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8/11/2005
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| Monmouth's Brian Boland | |
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Somerset, NJ - The Northeast Conference announced its 2005 preseason all-conference football team this afternoon, which was selected in voting by the league’s eight head coaches. Monmouth landed an NEC-high seven players on the squad, followed by Central Connecticut State and Robert Morris with four each, along with two each from Sacred Heart, Wagner and Stony Brook.
Monmouth junior Brian Boland (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) is the coaches’ pick at quarterback. The junior is the NEC’s top returning signal caller in pass efficiency (136.7) after converting 56.3 percent of his pass attempts and throwing for 1,643 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. Boland led the Hawks to their second consecutive NEC title in 2004 as Monmouth also gathered its first Sports Network Cup as the nation’s #1 ranked mid-major program.
The preseason all-NEC running backs both earned first team honors in 2004 - Central Connecticut State junior Cory Harge (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) and Sacred Heart senior Ed Pricolo (Johnston, RI/La Salle Academy). Harge, the reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Year, became the first tailback in NEC history to rush for 1,000 or more yards during his freshman and sophomore seasons, despite playing in only six full games for the Blue Devils in 2004. As a sophomore, Harge rushed for 1,032 yards and 13 touchdowns and crushed league single-game records for yards and touchdowns scored, posting 331 yards and five TDs in a win over Stony Brook last November. Harge is also the NEC’s active leading rusher with 2,114 career yards. Pricolo averaged 6.4 yards per carry last season and took home the league’s rushing and touchdown scoring titles. He finished with a school-record 1,339 yards rushing, 15 touchdowns and gained 150 or more yards five times in 2004. Against Wagner last season, Pricolo rushed for a career-best 238 yards and two touchdowns.
Monmouth senior Miles Austin (Garfield, NJ/Garfield) and Wagner junior Chris Turner (Syracuse, NY/Henniger) were tabbed as the conference’s top returnees at wide receiver. Austin earned his second first team all-NEC nod in 2004, while Turner earned his first all-conference nod for the Seahawks . Austin collected 859 receiving yards last season, the fifth-best total in NEC history, while snaring 47 catches, including nine for touchdowns. The flanker became the third player in Monmouth annals to log 100 career receptions and moved into the top-10 all-time in the NEC. Turner finished the season with 61 receptions for 845 yards and eight scores, which both ranked second in the league. The wideout also set a school record with 15 receptions versus La Salle in Wagner’s season opener.
Robert Morris senior Rupert Rickards (Flushing, NY/Bayside) earns preseason accolades at tight end. The Colonial standout took home first team honors at tight end last season, following a second team selection in 2002. Rickards led all NEC tight ends with 33 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns.
The five members of the preseason all-NEC offensive line consist of three seniors and two juniors. In addition, four of the selections were named second team all-NEC last season, including Monmouth senior John Castoro (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South), Stony Brook senior Leo Sullivan (Bellmore, NY/JFK), Albany junior Jacob Anderson (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) and Central Connecticut State junior Ryne Nutt (Warren, OH/Howland). The remaining selection is Albany senior Aaron Kimball (Fonda, NY/Fonda-Fultonville). Castoro was instrumental in leading Monmouth to consecutive NEC titles, while helping the Hawks rank second in the NEC in scoring. Sullivan was a key part of Stony Brook’s attack, which led the conference in passing offense. Nutt anchored the CCSU offense line and helped pave the way as the Blue Devils led the NEC in total offense last year. Anderson and Kimball continued Albany’s dominance on the ground by leading the NEC in team rushing for the sixth straight season.
The preseason all-NEC defense begins with the defensive line and 2004 first team all-NEC selection senior Jason Forrest (Central Islip, NY/St. John the Baptist) from Robert Morris. Forrest, who earned a second team nod in 2003, collected a career-high 65 tackles last season, including 9.5 for loss and 5.0 sacks. Joining Forrest are a pair of second teamers from last year - Wagner junior Charles Bryant (New Haven, CT/Hamden) and Central Connecticut State junior Devon Douglass (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall). Bryant recorded 28 takedowns, 8.5 for loss and ranked sixth in the NEC with 7.0 sacks. Douglass registered 38 tackles, 7.5 for loss and 4.0 sacks for the Blue Devils. The fourth defensive line selection is Monmouth junior Erik Yngstrom (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township). Yngstrom has been a consistent stopper for the Hawks in his two years, tying for second in the NEC with 8.0 sacks in 2003 and ranking sixth in the league with 6.5 sacks in 2004. The junior also added 33 stops last season, including 9.0 for loss.
The preseason linebacker corps features a trio of veteran standards. Three first team selections return in 2005, including NEC Defensive Player of the Year, senior James Noel (Miami, FL/North Miami) from Robert Morris, NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year, sophomore Colin Disch (North Plainfield, NJ/North Plainfield) from Albany and Central Connecticut State senior Coree Tucker (Warren, OH/Harding). Noel has paced the Colonials in tackles for three straight seasons, adding a career-high 115 stops in 2004, including 10.5 tackles-for-loss, to become the first Robert Morris player to earn defensive player of the year honors. The Miami, FL product is a three-time all-NEC selection, including being named second team in 2002 and first team in 2003 and 2004. Disch has quickly become one of the top linebackers in the league after leading the NEC in total tackles with 131. The redshirt sophomore also posted double-digit tackles in each of Albany’s 11 games last season. Tucker earned an all-NEC award last season, finishing the season fifth in the NEC in tackles (89) and interceptions (3), including one pick for a touchdown. The three linebackers combined for 331 stops in 2004.
In the defensive backfield, a pair of second team all-NEC selections highlight the group - Monmouth senior Nick Castellano (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) and Albany junior Ryan Chrobak (Clinton, NY/Clinton Central). Castellano ranked second on Monmouth and seventh in the league with 81 tackles. Chrobak added 51 tackles, which ranked fourth on the Albany squad, and three interceptions in 2004. Joining Castellano and Chrobak on the preseason squad are Sacred Heart junior Jonathan Corto (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) and Monmouth junior Matt Hill (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong). Corto, a multi-purpose performer, ranked second in the conference in punt-return average (11.0), while finishing 10th in tackles (74) to go along with two forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles. Hill was ninth in the NEC in tackles (80) and third in INTs (4).
The preseason special team selections include two-time, first team all-NEC punter Sean Dennis (Westampton, NJ/Holy Cross) from Monmouth along with second team placekicker Nathan DiLorenzo (Wheeling, WV/Wheeling Park) from Robert Morris and junior kick returner Sal Davis (Somerset, NJ/Franklin) from Stony Brook. Dennis was the best punter in the league two straight seasons, leading the NEC by a wide margin with a 40.1 punt average. He also placed 15 kicks inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and drilled a season-long, 79-yard punt against Sacred Heart. DiLorenzo booted a league-high 13 field goals in 2004, tying for the second best single-season figure in league history, and converted 30 of 32 point-after-attempts. Davis averaged 22.2 yards per kickoff return in nine games for the Seawolves last season, including a 97-yard touchdown return versus Sacred Heart in week eight.
With the 2005 football season just around the corner, the Northeast Conference recently announced a three-game television package to air on regional outlets throughout the Northeast. The three broadcasts are the most the NEC has produced in a single season. The games will air on three consecutive weekends beginning on September 17 when Robert Morris hosts Butler in the inaugural game at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon Township, PA. Fox Sports-Pittsburgh will air the contest live at 12:00 pm. On September 24, Albany travels to defending NEC co-champion Central Connecticut State for a 1:00 pm kickoff on Fox Sports-New York. The package wraps up with a Fox Sports-Pittsburgh broadcast on October 1 as Robert Morris hosts Keystone State rival St. Francis (PA) at 1:00 pm.
2005 Northeast Conference Football Preseason All-Conference TeamOffensePos Name School Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School (College)QB Brian Boland Monmouth 6-1 210 Jr. Brick, NJ/Brick MemorialRB Cory Harge Central Conn. St. 5-11 170 Jr. Amherst, NY/Sweet HomeRB Ed Pricolo Sacred Heart 5-10 210 Sr. Johnston, RI/La Salle AcademyWR Miles Austin Monmouth 6-3 220 Sr. Garfield, NJ/GarfieldWR Chris Turner Wagner 6-3 210 Jr. Syracuse, NY/HenningerTE Rupert Rickards Robert Morris 6-2 210 Sr. Flushing, NY/BaysideOL John Castoro Monmouth 6-3 275 Sr. Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South (Maine)OL Leo Sullivan Stony Brook 6-3 300 Sr. Bellmore, NY/JFKOL Jacob Anderson Albany 6-6 285 Jr. West Seneca, NY/West Seneca WestOL Ryne Nutt Central Conn. St. 6-4 305 Jr. Warren, OH/HowlandOL Aaron Kimball Albany 6-3 310 Sr. Fonda, NY/Fonda-FultonvilleDefensePos Name School Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School (College)DL Jason Forrest Robert Morris 6-2 290 Sr. Central Islip, NY/St. John the BaptistDL Charles Bryant Wagner 6-1 240 Jr. New Haven, CT/HamdenDL Devon Douglass Central Conn. St. 6-1 275 Jr. Baltimore, MD/Calvert HallDL Erik Yngstrom Monmouth 6-2 270 Jr. Freehold, NJ/Freehold TownshipLB Colin Disch Albany 6-0 208 So. North Plainfield, NJ/North PlainfieldLB Coree Tucker Central Conn. St. 6-0 210 Sr. Warren, OH/HardingLB James Noel Robert Morris 6-0 225 Sr. Miami, FL/North MiamiDB Nick Castellano Monmouth 5-10 190 Sr. Jackson, NJ/Jackson MemorialDB Ryan Chrobak Albany 5-11 185 Jr. Clinton, NY/Clinton CentralDB Jonathan Corto Sacred Heart 6-1 195 Jr. Orchard Park, NY/Orchard ParkDB Matt Hill Monmouth 6-0 210 Jr. Hopatcong, NJ/HopatcongSpecial TeamsPos Name School Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School (College)PK Nathan DiLorenzo Robert Morris 5-11 185 Jr. Wheeling, WV/Wheeling ParkP Sean Dennis Monmouth 5-11 175 Jr. Westampton, NJ/Holy CrossRS Sal Davis Stony Brook 5-8 160 Jr. Somerset, NJ/Franklin
